Ever since the National Gallery Singapore opened on the 24th of November 2015, I have been meaning to go and have a look. Last week, five years later, I managed to make the visit. I am not a big fan of galleries. I think I can count the number of galleries I visited in my life on both hands.
I am keen to visit the National Gallery because it is special – in that, the Gallery consists of two national monuments, preserving the restored City Hall and Supreme Court buildings. That was the added attraction for me – to go and see the iconic buildings, besides seeing what was on show. I have never been in the Supreme Court building, or the City Hall before.
The restoration of both the buildings, linking it with an underpass is a work of art itself.
Located in the Downtown district of Singapore, the National Gallery Singapore is an art museum with a combined floor area of 64,000 square metres making it the largest visual arts venue and largest museum in Singapore. It oversees the world’s largest public collection of Singaporean and Southeast Asian art, consisting of over 8,000 artworks. It aims to provide an understanding and appreciation of art and culture through a variety of media, focusing on Singapore's culture and heritage and its relationship with other Asian cultures and the world.
The Gallery is a big place. I, who is directionally challenged would have got very lost if not for my friend who guided me along. Still, we missed a lot of the features of the place. It was also a rushed visit because we went quite late, and it was nearing their closing hours. So, I am keen to go back again, much earlier next time so I can spend time exploring the place.
Meanwhile, here are some pictures I took on my visit. Not much because I was quite overwhelmed. My next visit will be better. I will know what I want to see and what I want to take a picture of.
A piece of history.
I guess this is where the offenders/suspects were held before they attend court to have their fate decided. A wonderful reminder to visitors what this building once was.
Georgette Chen - a self portrait. Her works were on exhibit.
There were many of pieces of her arts on show. These two were my favourites.
This was one of the art installation.
I find this interesting. The whole installation was a short 'bridge' - maybe three meters in length by half a meter high. Stepping on the bridge, looking down, I saw this bottomless looking scene. Immediately, I felt uncomfortable. I began to think that if the glass broke, I was going to fall into the abyss. But I know that in reality, I was only half a meter from the ground. 
There were five sections. I was still all right at the first section, but as I advanced, I got more and more uneasy. By the fourth section, I almost couldn't bear to look down. It was weird.
This was on a side of the wall. I have no idea what this was, or what it was supposed to represent.
A bit of history on the buildings. The old City Hall was first known as Municipal Building until 1951 when Singapore was granted city status by King George VI. The Old Supreme Court Building was the former courthouse of the Supreme Court of Singapore, before it moved out of the building. The building was the last structure in the style of classical architecture to be built in the former British Colony.
If you are interested to know more click on National Gallery Singaore
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